My Experience With Jicky

I can't say I was impressed with Jicky in EdT form. It was the phantom of a lemon-scented wet-wipe, then it was gone. Wimpy and unpleasant.

Today, however, I tried Jicky in parfum form - a big difference. I'd classify this with Diptyque's L'Autre and Hermes Eau d'Hermes as a transparent animalic citrus. Though Jicky is not spicy like the other two, all three share an interesting lemony-citrus top contrasted with an animalic base.

Jicky's top goes on with a strong bergamot and lemon, dry but not harsh. After twenty minutes or so the civet comes roaring in and civet's fecal quality makes this quite a dirty, skanky citrus just slightly modified by a light vanilla. In the base the civet calms down and becomes mellow, allowing the vanilla to show itself more. After about the six hour mark, it's all gone.

The thing is, the parfum behaves rather like an EdT on me. It doesn't have full-bodied quality and exceptional longevity I expect from a parfum, and given that, have to wonder if it's really worth parfum prices...

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Originally Posted by Galamb_Borong

The thing is, the parfum behaves rather like an EdT on me. It doesn't have full-bodied quality and exceptional longevity I expect from a parfum, and given that, have to wonder if it's really worth parfum prices...

I had the same longevity issues so I bought the parfum extrait and I'm sorry to say that it doesn't have much longevity either. It's a pity as Jicky is so wonderful. Vol de Nuit, Mouchoir de Monsieur and Apres le Ondee also have longevity issue on me. L'Heure Bleu is the only one of the important Geurlains that lasts quite well on my skin.
And that's the way I see it.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Thanks, guys. I think I trust you with this one.
I now take the ťxtrait of Jicky and VDN off my 'to get' list.

It's one of the first perfumes I thought I knew.
My sentimental attachment actually goes back to
an overnight stay at some luxury apartment in Berlin.
That was in my early days, and somehow the
mix of vanilla and 'something dirty' began to
live it's own life in my soul. Decades later, when
I 'came by money' myself, I thought I'll just buy the EDT
but it appeared to be flat and small...
Memory meets reality, or just reformulation in
downward steps? Both, I guess.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Oh well, that`s why people (and me too) chasing after the vintages.

As for Jicky - I used two bottles dated in 1980`s (50 ml EDT and 50 ml EDP) and both of them could be named as silver fur, warm and a bit skunky.
But they were gone - and I bought refill of EDP XXI century edition. It has the same structure, but less body, less furry and somewhat poor, lacking and not-satisfying.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Originally Posted by Ruggles

I had the same longevity issues so I bought the parfum extrait and I'm sorry to say that it doesn't have much longevity either. It's a pity as Jicky is so wonderful. Vol de Nuit, Mouchoir de Monsieur and Apres le Ondee also have longevity issue on me. L'Heure Bleu is the only one of the important Geurlains that lasts quite well on my skin.
And that's the way I see it.

Ruggles: do you mean the extrait of Vol de Nuit? I agree with you on Jicky, MdM and AlO but the extrait of Vol de Nuit has excellent longevity on me. However, I agree that it is nowhere near the shower-surviving stamina of LHB extrait.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

I get decent longevity with the EdT but I do have to spray a lot of it for it to last well. I love it. My bottle is from the late 90's. It is a sort of flat scent after the initial citrus topnotes but rich and comfortable. Oily, quiet, animalic lavender.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Originally Posted by Merlino

Ruggles: do you mean the extrait of Vol de Nuit? I agree with you on Jicky, MdM and AlO but the extrait of Vol de Nuit has excellent longevity on me. However, I agree that it is nowhere near the shower-surviving stamina of LHB extrait.

I have the extrait of VdN and I find it lacking in the longevity department. Perhaps it's just me. It lasts about 3-4 hours.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Galamb - I was always under the impression that the Eau de Parfum formulation of Jicky was the best for longevity, diffusion, sillage, etc. Your post confirms this. You need to try the Eau de Parfum Galamb - preferably, as moonfish suggested, a vintage bottle. If you ever see Parfum de Toilette, that is vintage. I see it on Ebay ever so often, usually at a very high price.

I personally don't own a full bottle of Jicky yet, since I tested the EdT and experienced the same thing that you did. If I ever do own a bottle, it will be vintage EdP or PdT. For now, you might want to sample Mouchoir de Monsieur - a heartier, skankier and just-as-luxurious version of Jicky. My full bottle is on the way to me soon, and I can't wait to wear it.

In response to Merlino and Ruggles comments about the Vol de Nuit parfum longevity - I must agree with Ruggles. He and I tested vintage perfume and yes it's a glorious, very touching perfume - the way that the galbanum wraps itself around the moss and spices and then arrives at the Guerlainade is quite magical. But it was GONE from my skin in a couple of hours. And I applied more than a few drops. Sad, because I wanted to really keep that wonderful enchanting smell going for longer. My goal is to sample/buy the VDN Eau de Cologne soon, to see if maybe this version 'sticks around' longer.

Last edited by mikeperez23; 15th May 2009 at 04:32 PM.

"When you become comfortable with uncertainty. infinite possibilities open up in your life"

Re: My Experience With Jicky

I'm a big Jicky fan. I first tried the PdT, which I loved. Unable to find a bottle of even the EdP, I settled for the EdT. My experience of the EdT is like Strollyourlobster's: it has suprising longevity on me (it gets faint pretty fast, but sticks around, subtle and nicely skanky, for hours and hours). I still hope to get a bottle of PdT / EdP someday. Great stuff!

And as Galamb Borong says on a different thread, despite its age, Jicky is infinitely more unusual than such purportedly outrageous frags as L'Anarchiste.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Originally Posted by narcus

Thanks, guys. I think I trust you with this one.
I now take the ťxtrait of Jicky and VDN off my 'to get' list.

It's one of the first perfumes I thought I knew.
My sentimental attachment actually goes back to
an overnight stay at some luxury apartment in Berlin.
That was in my early days, and somehow the
mix of vanilla and 'something dirty' began to
live it's own life in my soul. Decades later, when
I 'came by money' myself, I thought I'll just buy the EDT
but it appeared to be flat and small...
Memory meets reality, or just reformulation in
downward steps? Both, I guess.

Hey Narcus,

i have a vintage jicky edt.
it smells different than the one sold now at the stores.

i dotn have a problem with longevity but with the sillage.
the lavender, civet vanilla works great on me.

i think u will still love it if u will find one of the older botles.
there have been many many reformulations.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

i have a vintage jicky edt.
it smells different than the one sold now at the stores.

i dotn have a problem with longevity but with the sillage.
the lavender, civet vanilla works great on me.

i think u will still love it if u will find one of the older botles.
there have been many many reformulations.

Yes, and don't forget to try Mouchoir de Monsieur, as Mike mentioned. It seems to be readily available in Germany and Austria (I bought a bottle in Vienna while visiting). MdM, despite its name, is surprisingly similar to Jicky, perhaps a little darker and more complex with something leathery/rubbery going as I recall when I did a side by side blind test of the two (on paper).

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Never tried the EdT, but I think the PdT is the most versatile. The Parfum to me is where it's at since there's so much more of the "good stuff", but you gotta be generous. I think a dab the size of a quarter to the wrists and/or behind the ears, works for me.

I found that with the case of Jicky, Shalimar, and especially VdN, you need body heat--lots of it, in order for it to bloom, otherwise, it dies on you after 2 hours--no doubt about it. In general, I always have problems with Guerlain scents because 85% of the essences are natural, therefore shorter lived.

*********************

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Re: My Experience With Jicky

Originally Posted by Delmar

Yes, and don't forget to try Mouchoir de Monsieur, as Mike mentioned. It seems to be readily available in Germany and Austria (I bought a bottle in Vienna while visiting). MdM, despite its name, is surprisingly similar to Jicky, perhaps a little darker and more complex with something leathery/rubbery going as I recall when I did a side by side blind test of the two (on paper).

Re: My Experience With Jicky

I own Jicky in all 3 concentrations now. All are "modern", meaning they probably are the latest formulation.

EDT--if I spray alot (say, 2 sprays to each arm), it lasts all day and is quite strong. It loses the lavender within the first hour. Emphasis is on the lemon/vanilla and civet.

EDP--if I spray one spray to each arm at night, I can still smell the musk base the next morning. Seems to be the longest life of the three, although I really don't like the musk base very much Balanced between lemon, lavender, vanilla and civet.

Parfum--if I spray one spray to each arm, or one spray shared with both arms at night, I can still smell it the next day, but it it not as strong as the EDP. Seems to wear closest to the body start to finish, although the EDT drydown is very close to the body too. Much more lavender and civet, with the vanilla and civet forming a creamy accord.

Other observations: I have no trouble with longevity with Shalimar EDP or extrait, nor Vol de Nuit extrait. They are all night scents for me, and I can still smell them the next morning. And I agree with the comment above that VdN is more enjoyable to me than Mitsouko. The longevity giant I have from Guerlain is Habit Rouge EDP.

Re: My Experience With Jicky

Originally Posted by PhinClio

I'm a big Jicky fan. I first tried the PdT, which I loved. Unable to find a bottle of even the EdP, I settled for the EdT. My experience of the EdT is like Strollyourlobster's: it has suprising longevity on me (it gets faint pretty fast, but sticks around, subtle and nicely skanky, for hours and hours). I still hope to get a bottle of PdT / EdP someday. Great stuff!

...

I had forgotten which kind of Jicky "EdP" tester 75 ml. I bought on ebay a couple years ago. It took me a couple minutes to retrieve it from the back of a closet shelf. It happens to be a "Parfum de Toilette" . I bought this one along with an EdT tester in a short but hectic "bling buy" period prior to finding out what a great (and useful) community this was. I was wearing it again (after posting what I wrote above about MdM) and I think the light is starting to dawn on me what a fabulous scent it is. IMO the skanky side of Jicky is in a very nice balance with the rest of the scent in the PdT. I'm going to have to give the EdT some more wears but the first time I tried it I'm not sure I enjoyed the "animalistic" aspect of that version. It could be that it was the opening I found most off-putting.